“Whilst I believe his comments were made through ignorance they were unacceptable and highly offensive to many of our friends, fighters and to a city that we have a huge amount of respect for.”
Eddie Hearn has removed Ohara Davies from the fight card of a big night of boxing at the O2 Arena on February 3rd. Hearn took the action after the WBA international super-lightweight champion taunted his rival Tommy Coyle by declaring The Sun to be his favourite newspaper and tweeting “BuyTheSun”.
The newspaper is widely detested on Merseyside following their coverage of the Hillsborough disaster, in which 96 Liverpool supporters were unlawfully killed in 1989. Four days after the tragedy, The Sun ran a story, which has now been established to have been false, under the headline “The Truth.”
Coyle has been an outspoken critic of the newspaper, and was goaded by Davies in a series of tweets, which have now been deleted. On Friday, he wrote:
“The Sun is my favourite newspaper … I will wear their logo on my shorts and they will work with Eddie Hearn to promote my fight one day… After I knock you out my first interview will be with the Sun.”
The tweets were widely derided on social media, including by Liverpudlian Tony Bellew.
Biggest Helmet of 2017 award goes to this stupid tit!! @OharaDavies
I would of thought what got done to you in Scotland would of taught you something? It obviously hasn’t you idiot! You need to apologise lad! pic.twitter.com/HIWke3VWar
— Tony Bellew (@TonyBellew) December 29, 2017
So O’Hara had no idea why @TommyCoyle89 doesn’t like the rag! I’ll be honest I’d usually say “bollocks” but seeing this mush I can believe this.. Only thing I’ve got left to say is “think before you type in future” 😳 https://t.co/xgY4bUH8lw
— Tony Bellew (@TonyBellew) December 30, 2017
Davies apologised on Saturday morning, writing:
“I was totally ignorant of and up to now am still partly ignorant as I’ve read up what happened but am not yet totally sure what part the newspaper had to do with the 96 deaths.”
Here is the last I will speak on the subject to which I sincerly apologise again to those i offended in my ignorance. pic.twitter.com/Vyppm7ZV6y
— Ohara Davies (@OharaDavies) December 30, 2017
However, Matchroom promoter Hearn has taken action, and has removed Davies from the upcoming fight card.
“Following comments made by Ohara Davies on social media yesterday, we have removed him from our February 3 show at the O2 Arena. Whilst I believe his comments were made through ignorance they were unacceptable and highly offensive to many of our friends, fighters and to a city that we have a huge amount of respect for.”
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) December 30, 2017
